Mysoori or the Mysorean race

The term Mysore is derived from the name Mahishasura, it is an ancient establishment dating back to the era of chalukyas and much past it.
Mysore was not very relevant as a state nor at the helm of affairs until, it shone at the centrestage of the world during the reign of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.

Mysore has been a melting pot of various cultures, Kannadigas (kshatriyas of the Chola, Chalukya dynasties, Vijayanagara Kingdom, etc.), the early Afghan settlers running away from the massacre of Genghis Khan via the land route, the Traders and Merchants of Arabia via the sea route, Warrior tribes from Samarkhand, the soldiers of Khanate, Marathas, vokkaligas and other local tribesmen. Apart from these the craftsmen, traders, merchants, farmers, common folk formed the backbone of the state economy.
All these different races mixed and comprised the people called the Mysooris or Mysoreans.
Fearless, Loyal, sturdy yet caring, accepting and tolerant.
This place has been known for it's accepting, tolerant and loving people (till date the people of karnataka are considered far tolerant towards immigrants from various other states)

The Mysorean, Mysoori (in Urdu) became prominent as a sturdy opposing entity to the the British empire in India. No Indian state nor any country can claim to equal the fear struck at the hearts of the English, than the forces of Mysore. A force to reckon with, the Mysorean Army was a single unit under the one command of their able leader. Technologically advanced, they had a strong Naval presence along the Malabar coast. They had trade ties with countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East and south east Asia and a strong industrial setup which was self sustaining.

Depiction of the Sultan

Being a religious, humble man that the Sultaun was, he never had himself pictorically represented as it is forbidden in Islam. The only representations of the Sultaun are those derived from the works of British artists who as a matter of fact never had seen the Sultaun in their lifetime.
Their interpretations are purely imaginative and more so maligned intentionally for propagandist reasons.
The only true work which can be accepted is that of a French Artist who visited the Mysore Durbar and carved the image of the Sultaun upon returning back home. which is the same picture as on this blog. The current popular depiction of the Sultaun which is widely circulated is that of a Bald, overweight, clean shaven Sultaun, who is depicted that way to please the British masses and show their most formidable foe as belittled and a no-show. The Indian government is circulating the same because it is in their interest to show a non-religious Sultaun which, has now become the only way to tag someone as SECULAR.

Muslim historians who have seen their Sultaun give the following depiction-"The Noble Sultan was of tall stature more than 6ft in height, broad shoulders, chest being over 40 adi(inch), explicit facial features, fair with a Roman nose, which gave him a dignified look nothing short of artistic beauty."

Can we go with the British depictions???

Alexander Beatson, considered to be a propagandist Author who, published a volume entitled "View of the Origin and Conduct of the War with the late Tippoo Sultaun" on the Fourth Mysore War, described Tippu Sultan as follows: "His stature was about five feet eight inches; he had a short neck, square shoulders, and was rather corpulent: his limbs were small, particularly his feet and hands; he had large full eyes, small arched eyebrows, and an aquiline nose; his complexion was fair, and the general expression of his countenance, not void of dignity".

What do you think of a Man who undergoes military training from the age of 6 or 7, a master swordsman and a legendary horseman, whose genes are from a father who was a Khan and massive at that. Nawab Haidar Ali was a big guy, one of the giants of the Mysore army.
Tipu Sultaun was called the "Tiger of Mysore". It is said that Tipu Sultaun was hunting in the forest with a French friend. He came face to face with a tiger. His gun did not work, and his dagger fell on the ground as the tiger jumped on him. He wrestled the tiger with his bare hands and tore its jaws open. That earned him the name "the Tiger of Mysore".

Two depictions, both are poles apart...

It clearly shows the intentions of an imperialist, extremist and narrow thinking British society, a country which milked an entire nation of it's riches, robbed them of their ideals, maligned their history and bled them dry. Not just that, they even sowed the seeds of eternal hatred between two communities who once ate their meals in one platter, shared their joys and sorrows, overlooked by their righteous king!!